Growing up in India had given me the opportunity to witness a range of animals, from dogs and cats to cattle and buffalo, from a very early age. But I never paid attention to those animals living close to me, on the roads or in the backyard. Even after my 12 th as a passionate “Science” student, my fascinating animal world was lying on the other side of the boundary, in the wilderness, where “charismatic” animals like tigers and elephants live. Soon after my graduation in Zoology, I started to realize my ignorance. For the first time, during my Masters, I systematically studied free-ranging dogs, which opened up a window to animal sociality for me, and convinced me that animal social lives, in a broad sense, are parallel, both in wild and not-so-wild (i.e., cities and villages) environments. Eventually, I ended up doing a PhD on dogs’ social behaviour and cognition, and my decision was life-changing. I got to learn a lot about and from dogs on the streets in India. It was that moment when I almost decided to further my professional career studying social animals. The idea solidified when I shifted gears (from dogs) and started researching another group of highly social animals, the macaques. Although my “area of expertise” was considerably broadened, I felt something was missing. I asked myself how can I use my knowledge of animal social behaviour (from fundamental “blue sky research”) and do something that is directly beneficial to society (both human and animal). And then I bumped into the buffalo (not literally!), not on crowded and busy city roads, but on an island, with lush green picturesque terrain and amazing beaches. My journey with buffalo on the beach starts here.

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Hong Kong, to the majority of the world, is perceived as a bustling city, densely packed with skyscrapers. What is not known to everyone is that the same city harbours a large island in its west, called Lantau, geographically even larger than the Hong Kong main island. The Lantau island is highly rich in biodiversity and home to many different species, one of them being the buffalo. Interestingly, the not-so-big population of feral buffalo is one of the top attractions to travellers visiting the island. But these animals are much more than just tourist attractions; they are an integral part of the island and are of significant value to the functioning of the Lantau ecosystem. My research here will deal with these large mammals - investigating their social behaviour (of course!), population dynamics and most importantly, how they impact the overall biodiversity. Therefore, I can proudly say that now I am one step closer to fulfilling my gap in research as the contributions will have a direct link to understanding the coexistence of humans and wildlife and their complex interactions.

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